E. Lamar Taylor
The Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) announced at a cabinet meeting this morning that E. Lamar Taylor will function as interim chief investment officer for the $250 billion fund. Ash Williams is set to retire Oct. 1.
Taylor is currently the plan’s chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO). He has been at the fund for almost to 15 years, starting with the Division of Bond Finance, in 2002, where he began as deputy general counsel. He was named deputy executive director in 2013. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and also has a law degree from Florida State University.
According to the FL SBA, during his tenure at the board, Taylor has worked closely with Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer Ash Williams, as well as with trustee and legislative staff to address a range of policy, investment and operational matters affecting the board.
Ninety-four of the SBA’s 210 full time employees directly or indirectly report to Lamar as the SBA’s COO/CFO, and he currently oversees the board’s accounting and financial operations, budget, information technology (IT) and security, human resources (HR), purchasing and administrative functions. He also provides oversight and input into critical investment processes, including asset/liability reviews and allocation decisions, as well as investment due diligence, pricing, and valuation.
In his prior roles at the SBA, Taylor helped to structure key terms for the issuance of bonds by the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe “Cat” Fund and is active in the Cat Fund’s issuance of Pre-Event Bonds and risk transfer products. Additionally, Taylor has led efforts to upgrade the board’s IT security and has negotiated agreements that enable the SBA to trade securities in-house.
As deputy executive director, he reviewed and approved all alternative investment transactions prior to final review and approval by the SBA’s executive director and CIO.
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Tags: Ash Williams, Ashbel Williams, CIO, E. Lamar Taylor, Florida SBA, retire, State Pension